Scientists make significant discovery about our brains and cravings
Despite medical and psychological support that addiction is in fact a mental illness, many people dismiss the symptoms and the behaviors exhibited as a result of it and shame those who suffer from addiction by using pejoratives such as “junkie” or “druggie” or suggesting to simply “quit.” You don’t tell a person experiencing a medical ailment like cancer or a broken leg to just stop. But science is getting closer to unraveling the many complexities that contribute to addiction. A vital new study shows that addictive cravings exist after life. A team of researchers have discovered addictive cravings are detectable in the brain after death. Researchers at Medical University Vienna have reported finding traces of a specific protein, FosB, that is altered in the reward center of the brain of people with addictive disorders, after death.
Dr. Phil Has Couple Insist That Drug Addiction Never Stopped Them From Being Good Parents VIDEO
Chris and Katie are parents to a 5-year-old and 7-year-old little girl. They are also homeless and addicted to heroin. But, they say that even though they get high multiple times a day, they are good, responsible parents who have never put their daughters in harm’s way … They had a roof over their head up until we got evicted,” Chris says. “We do drugs but we would never do them in front of our kids.”
January 10, 2017 Having spent many years in the Manhattan DA’s office, I saw first-hand the effect that drugs and alcohol can have on criminal offending. I witnessed the devastation that those substances can have on children, families and communities. Fortunately, I saw lives transformed when addiction issues were addressed and very often it was the result of legal consequences. I have also experienced addiction first hand … While my drinking did not affect me professionally, the negative experiences that accumulated ultimately lead to my decision to stop drinking … Famed researcher Bill White has lamented that we could fill libraries with what we know about addiction, yet the concept of recovery still remains a mystery for most people. This is especially true of those on the front lines of the justice system, since this is not something that is covered in law school.
Ayelet Waldman, a novelist and former federal public defender, recalled the sunny spring morning she rolled out of bed in her Berkeley, Calif., home and experienced the most curious sensation: She felt alive. As her husband, the novelist Michael Chabon, slept and her teenage son and daughter slumped over the breakfast table, Ms. Waldman did not feel a trace of morning surliness, or of the suffocating depression that had dogged her for months … “Mom, are you on acid?” her daughter asked sarcastically. Ms. Waldman froze. It was not yet the moment, she decided, to answer “yes.”
ACA repeal would jeopardize addiction treatment for about 8,300 Mainers
January 11 – An estimated 8,300 Mainers with substance use disorders will lose access to treatment programs if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, according to an analysis published Wednesday by researchers at New York University and Harvard Medical School. The loss of coverage would come amid an opioid crisis in which Mainers are dying from drug overdoses at a rate of more than one person per day, according to state statistics. A record 286 Mainers died of drug overdoses from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 of last year, according to the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
Functioning alcoholic turned sobriety advocate on benefits of quitting booze AUDIO
Sober is the new black, says sobriety advocate Janet Gourand. She says there is a growing sobriety movement spreading across the world, as people begin to realise the benefits of an alcohol-free life. Gourand is the founder of World Without Wine, a sobriety community which provides support and workshops. She started drinking at university and says she gradually became a functioning alcoholic as an adult. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Gourand quit alcohol 10 years ago and never looked back.
Cuomo Proposes ‘Recovery’ High Schools to Help Drug Addicted Students
January 11, 2017 New York State could soon have two special high schools for young people recovering from drug addiction under a proposal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo .. The so-called “recovery” centers would be a “school within a school” and operated in areas with high rates of addiction in conjunction with the Office for Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and local social services agencies.
Starbucks to end sales of alcoholic beverages nationwide
The company tried hard – free wine tastings, table-side service, a certain amount of publicity and in-store promotions and signage to promote Evenings. In theory, it should’ve worked. And the company itself seemed bullish on it, planning a big expansion in the future … The food was also not quite right. Not that it was bad food, or even the wrong food for beer and wine. That all worked. The problem was it wasn’t relevant to the Starbucks brand. Scones and donuts make sense in a coffee shop, but truffle mac and cheese does not.
Our lives are guided by addiction. Depending on the flexibility in your definition of the word, most everything in our lives is tied up in it. Addiction comes in many different flavors-from healthy (fitness, knowledge) to unhealthy (junk food, drinking)-but the effect on the identity is the same. Once we have become accustomed to something, it seems that it has become a part of us. We are unable to easily separate ourselves from that other person, the addict within. Gregor Hens’ new non-fiction work, Nicotine, is an exploration of one particular niche in the addiction dialogue. Hens takes the reader through his personal history, while exploring the nuances of one smoker’s life.
Lech Walesa attends funeral of son who battled alcoholism
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Former Polish President Lech Walesa attended the funeral Friday of a son who died at the age of 43 after struggling with alcoholism. Przemyslaw Walesa was discovered dead in his Gdansk home on Sunday by a family member. Investigators ruled out foul play or suicide, but gave no exact cause of death. He was known to have struggled with alcohol. In 1993, he caused a car accident while under the influence of alcohol. In 2003, he was in another crash while under the influence of alcohol and was given a one-year suspended sentence. He left behind two teenage sons of his own.
READ MORE @ WBOC.com
BUSTED and More to Come VIDEO
Treatment Clinic Owner Charged by State VIDEO
The Washington Department of Health is pursuing administrative charges against the owner of a state-licensed drug and alcohol treatment clinic in Pierce County. Two counts of “unprofessional conduct” accuse Clarence Farmer of faking treatment reports and falsifying urinalysis tests for two clients at the clinic Farmer owned and operated before he shut it down and moved to Spanaway last year. It’s the first set of charges in wide-ranging state investigations sparked by KING 5’s Sobriety for Sale series.
READ MORE @ King5.com
Somewhere Over the Rainbow VIDEOS
Judy Garland slashed her own throat with a razor in the grip of chronic drug addiction VIDEOS
Judy Garland had a chronic drug addiction that caused her to slash her throat with a razor, according to a revealing memoir by ex-husband Sid Luft. Miss Garland, who played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, died at her home in London of a drug overdose in 1969. She was 47. Mr Luft, the third of her five husbands, wrote about the star’s drug abuse and depression in an autobiography he was planning before his death in 2005 … He told how he would stand over her at night to stop her accessing secret stashes of pills which she hid in cigarette packets. Mr Luft blamed Miss Garland’s addictions on studio bosses who gave drugs to child stars like his former wife.
How a Riverside’s Whiteside Manor treatment facility is helping more people
Jan. 13, 2017 hanks to a new infusion of funds, a Riverside drug and alcohol treatment program is gearing up to help more individuals who are the most in need. On Feb. 1, Whiteside Manor will begin opening more beds to individuals who have no insurance or cannot pay for recovery services. Many such clients are homeless, and although one of the agency’s four facilities is currently dedicated to serving the homeless, new funding has opened up larger opportunities … “Help is available,” Eby said. “Drug addiction is not a moral failing or a character problem. It is a chronic, progressive disease, and treatment is often very successful if people will follow treatment suggestions.”
Alcoholic mum bullied disabled son so badly he only came out of his room to eat
As she was led away, Carol Sahlke told her son, who has Asperger’s and a multiple personality disorder: “I’m going to get you, you bastard.” The victim was described as having a “dysfunctional” relationship with his mother. Mr Evans said: “His mother is said to completely dominate and bully him, opening his mail and raiding his bedroom for coins, and trying to control his life. “In fact Mr [the victim] was reduced to living entirely in his bedroom, which has a locked door, and coming out only for meals and other essentials.
To our Readers and Advertisers: An Open Letter from Leonard Buschel Publisher/Editor of the Addiction/Recovery eBulletin
Gratitude is always in season, and as we begin 2017, I want to thank our readers and astute progressive advertisers for your loyalty and confidence. The Addiction/ Recovery eBulletin is approaching four and a half years of continued growth and influence. This would not have been possible without the support of “The Good Guys” – our sponsors who continually stand on the side of truth, integrity and Best Practices. It is an honor to serve our readers and a responsibility I do not take lightly.
“I’ve been reading the Addiction/Recovery eBulletin for some time and I look forward to receiving it on a weekly basis. I’m a very busy professional, and I find the succinct details in which the articles are written both informative and enlightening. Please continue with your great work.”
Johanna O’Flaherty, PhD
Her doctorate in clinical psychology is from Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Go Make a Movie
REEL Recovery Film Festival
is a social, educational, networking and recovery forum showcasing first-time filmmakers and experienced professionals who make films about addiction and recovery. Our audience is treatment professionals, people in recovery, members of the entertainment industry, media representatives, educated moviegoers & the general public.
Hot Mess Socialite Gives the Addiction Memoir a Makeover with “How to Murder Your Life”
A rehab in Thailand is to thank for her toned down lifestyle, she said. But when I asked if she misses getting high, Marnell was quick to say, “Oh, I’m not sober.” She clarified by freely admitting she’s on Adderall … The author was charismatic and likable, but I immediately felt concern that she was in emotional distress. It’s well known that Marnell has built her brand by celebrating her train wreck trajectory. As she spoke, it was clear that it was not just an act. And although it was a relief to see her in what appeared to be better condition than her almost constant extreme scenarios described in the book, she seemed oceans away from serene … In her book she described ingesting “enough Adderall to suppress the appetites of all the starving children in all the world!”…
JAN 12, 2017 Mann: Sober Grid is unique because it takes peer support into the digital age. Sober Grid enables people in recovery from addiction to find and connect with others nearby, as well as to tap into a global sober community for immediate connection and peer support 24/7, directly from their smartphone. In-person support meetings are incredibly beneficial, but they are not offered in all locations or at all times of day. Sober Grid removes barriers that impede people from finding support wherever and whenever they need it, and puts this support in a person’s pocket, allowing them to access it “on demand” with the touch of a button.
The good, bad, and unknown about marijuana’s health effects
JAN 12, 2017 – Strong evidence links marijuana use to the risk of developing schizophrenia and other causes of psychosis, with highest risk among most frequent users. – Some evidence suggests a small increased risk for developing depressive disorders, but there’s no evidence either way on whether it affects the course or symptoms of such disorders, or the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder. – There’s strong evidence that using marijuana increases the risk of a traffic accident, but no clear indication that it promotes workplace accidents or injuries, or death from a marijuana overdose. – There’s only weak evidence for the idea that it hurts school achievement, raises unemployment rates or harms social functioning.
360 Video: Mock bedroom exposes hidden signs of drug addiction VIDEO
View the 360 video above to take a tour of what seems like a normal bedroom. Look closer and uncover a wide range of drug paraphernalia that one might not expect to find. Unfold the tinfoil in the trash, and you’ll find black tar heroin. Unscrew the bottom of a can, and you’ll discover pills … Click for previous coverage of the mock bedroom demonstration, created by Arizona officials to help adults identify hidden signs of teen drug abuse.
Ex-Michigan football star Dr. Billy Taylor Jr., sues Detroit: “You can’t evict drug addicts”
The former All-America running back was once a drug addict, alcoholic, lived on the streets of Detroit and even did prison time before getting his life back together. But at 68, the blows keep coming. The latest comes from a Detroit neighborhood association that has helped evict Taylor’s drug rehab center from a historic community … For almost a decade, Taylor has been in a legal feud with the Russell Woods Sullivan Area Association over his drug and alcohol rehab center called Get Back Up.
Seabrook Police Chief Mike Gallagher said it is difficult to pinpoint why the number of overdose deaths dropped by seven in 2016. He said causes could include a rise in public awareness for the current opioid crisis, as well as an increase in accessibility to the overdose-reversing drug Narcan … Overdose deaths were down in Seabrook by more than 50 percent in 2016 from the previous year, though the number of total overdoses dropped only by a small amount. Six people died of overdoses in town in 2016, according to Seabrook police, down from 13 the year before. There were 72 overdoses in Seabrook last year, 4 fewer than 2015.
I thought about what he said the other day as I talked to a woman who I will call Sarah. Sarah is early in sobriety. She is also going through a tough divorce. She was lamenting the fact that she was in her late 40s and just now getting sober. Starting over. We spoke of her feeling of intense loneliness. She was frightened of the loss of a way of life and the uncertainty of a future free of the bonds of booze, and of course, the loss of a marriage. She asked me if she would ever find love again. The fear of a “wasted life” with probably more years behind her than in front.
Why More Americans in Their 50s and 60s Are Smoking Pot VIDEO
Older Americans are among the fastest growing groups of pot users, according to recent research and drug surveys. Medical issues may also help explain the rise in senior pot usage, the authors said. Some older adults are experiencing age-related health problems -such as glaucoma, nausea, neurologic diseases, neuropathic pain and cancer symptoms -that can be treated with medical marijuana in the 21 states that currently allow it, the researchers said.
READ MORE @ LiveScience.com
MEDIA-Book: Philly Girl On The Rocks
Split Ends: BeYoNd the HaiR
A Philadelphia hair dresser escapes to the Big Apple not knowing what the bright lights in the city that never sleeps would bring to her. And then January 2007 when I woke up one morning on my bathroom floor, as I struggled to get up and look in the mirror the reflection was unrecognizable. The time had come for me to decide whether I continue my path of alcoholic destruction or do I enter the unknown road less traveled, the road to sobriety.
8th Annual Experience, Strength & Hope Awards – Feb. 23 in LA
Broadcast giant and Recovery advocate PAT O’BRIEN is set to receive the Experience, Strength and Hope Award presented on Thursday, February 23, 2017 Guest Host, Ed Begley, Jr. Guest Singer, Sherri Lewis Spoken word performance by author Dejuan DJ Verrett Actress Joanna Cassidy will be Thanking our VIP Sponsors from the stage. SPECIAL COMEDY performance, from South Florida to you, SARGE (He’s half Jewish and half Black. What could possibly go wrong?) PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS TBA Previous Honorees: Christopher Kennedy Lawford, Lou Gossett, Jr., Buzz Aldrin, Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Carrie White, Joe Pantoliano, Mackenzie Phillips Previous Participants: Danny Trejo, Tony Denison, Robert Downey, Jr., Ione Skye, Bobcat Goldthwait, Joanna Cassidy, Alonzo Bodden, Mark Lundholm, Dan Fante, Bob Forrest, Sharon Lawrence, Barry Diamond, Jack McGee Event Will Sell Out – Book now to avoid disappointment
JANUARY 14, 2017 PERTH AMBOY, NJ-A 54-year-old man from Howell Township was charged with second-degree “theft by extortion” in connection with his work as a drug treatment counsellor at a Perth Amboy clinic called “Journey to Wellness.” According to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO), Trimble “demanded [an] undisclosed sum on December 14, 2016 after the victim failed a drug test.” Trimble faces five to ten years in state prison if convicted of doing so but, at least for now, he is a free man. Having been released on his own recognizance, Trimble did not spend any time as an inmate in jail and did not have to pay bail to be released.
READ MORE @ NewBrunswickToday.com
Might Make a Difference
New device could aid in drug addiction recovery
Jan. 14, 2017 The price per device is about $550, which Stuber said is much cheaper than paying for someone to go through withdrawal in a hospital at about $1,000 per day. “It’s pretty remarkable,” Grim said. “All these people have is a device attached to their ear and all of a sudden there’s no more hot and cold sweats, shaking, anxiety or sniffling. This is a game changer.” It’s not considered a medical device yet, Grim said, and at the moment the Food and Drug Administration considers it in the same realm as acupuncture.
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Paul Krassner
American author, journalist, comedian, and founder of the magazine The Realist. Krassner became a key figure in the counterculture of the 1960s as a member of Ken Kesey‘s Merry Pranksters.
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Addiction/Recovery eBulletin Welcomes HARMONY PLACE – Woodland Hills, CA
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